The present invention relates to artificial bone and, more particularly, to biologic artificial bone having mechanical and biologic properties such that the artificial bone serves as an adequate substitute for structural bone.
The current standard for surgical treatment of fractures utilizes metal alloys for various techniques of fixation: plate and screws, wires, intra-medullary rods, pins, and artificial joint replacement. These devices are not absorbable and stay permanently in the bone and can be a problem in the future, requiring removal or replacements. Such complications may include, without limitation, implant loosening, prominence, discomfort, fracture, allergies, interference with CT and MRI scans, and the like.
Currently, the devices used to fill in bone defects include autografts, allografts, xenografts, metal implants. Each has its unique problems, ranging from donor site complications to substitute rejections and infections. More recently, ceramics have been used to fill in the bone defects, but these are not structural bone and are usually used as a supplement to a fixation procedure. Similarly bone morphogenic proteins are used as oste-inductive and osteogenic factors to encourage bone formation within the bone defects.
Various ceramics are currently in use in orthopedics and are mostly used as bone graft expanders. There is no structural artificial long bone, or cancellous bone such as a vertebral body currently available to replace or supplement host bones in conditions such as traumatic bone defect or surgical excision for tumor and infections. Allograft bone is currently used to replace large defects such as the different areas of femur.